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wolfsbane-if · 2 years

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Discussing some Thoughts regarding Wolfsbane and the future of the game below

So, as many of you know, Chapter Four's reception was somewhat mixed.

While no one is wrong for having a negative reaction to the chapter and sharing their feedback regarding it, it was also very much not an enjoyable experience for me and not one I care to repeat going forward. I write for fun, and fielding the update's reception was anything but: it made engaging with my own work afterwards very difficult, and there were many times where I wondered if I had messed up, if I wasn't cut out to write a more serious story and if I should abandon the project altogether. I'd only ever intended to write and share the prologue initially anyway, so it was already a far greater accomplishment than I'd ever anticipated I would achieve.

But I still love this story, and I don't think I want to abandon it. I do think I need to change how I do things to make the experience more manageable for myself, though. For a while I brainstormed a few different options, and ultimately settled on this: I think it would be best to no longer update Wolfsbane on a chapter-by-chapter basis. While the fact that the ending of Chapter Four left a lot up in the air was probably exciting for some, I also think that sense of displacement and not knowing what to expect prompted others to assume the worst and react in unfavourable ways.

I'd like for my work to speak for itself, and so I think I would benefit from sharing my writing publicly when it's at points where there are fewer loose ends to address. While there will definitely still be people who simply don't like the direction the writing takes - and that's totally fine - I hope that having some closure at the end of a given update will help to mitigate some of the potential stress that comes from reading an unfinished story and being left hanging, especially after more dramatic events. I don't know for sure that it will help anything, but I figure it's worth a shot.

With all that being said, don't expect the next update anytime soon. Between working on other projects and not really wanting to look at Wolfsbane for the last little while, it's seen very little progress, and I don't know when the next public update will be in a shareable state with this new policy in place. Thank you all very much for understanding.

Additionally, there's the matter of Garamond and romance in the game. I'm still getting messages complaining about the situation and, honestly, I'm just so exhausted and worn down by the whole topic at this point. I like romance in IFs a lot, but from day one I've kind of gotten this impression that it's the only thing a lot of people care about, or that a relationship without romance is viewed as lesser or not worth someone's time. One of the first asks I received was wondering "who are the romance options", rather than if there were any, and I've gotten several more like it since. That romance is treated as a given in the larger IF community - and often the focus, from what I've seen, even in non-romance games - saddens and frustrates me, as I believe there's so much value to be had in strong friendships that's often overlooked by adult-oriented media.

I've said from the start that romance isn't the focus of Wolfsbane, that I cherish the found family the characters have formed and want to highlight that before anything else, and at this point I feel that including what aspects of romance I have within Wolfsbane may have been to its detriment. Perhaps it's my fault for communicating it poorly, but to say from the start that romance isn't the focus and to receive a vast number of messages asking about it anyway has always felt... disheartening.

I do still believe that exploring the various kinds of love that people can experience - and the complications that arise from two individuals having very different desires/expectations in a relationship - can be very interesting and worth writing about in interactive fiction. It's a very real, very human experience, and was something I was eager to juxtapose against the idea of "monsters". But I also feel the need to reevaluate whether or not it ultimately has a place in this story, if its inclusion detracts from the overall message, or if I should change how it's approached.

These thoughts are very much incomplete and I don't know yet what, if anything, I'll alter or remove regarding romance in Wolfsbane, or how the trajectory of the story going forward might change. For now, just ignore what I said about a childhood friends Garamond having had feelings for the MC growing up; I don't know if it's an element worth keeping.

And I think that's everything; thank you to everyone who took the time to read this and to those of you who continue to enjoy my writing <3

#leftski talks #I never want writing to become a chore or something I dread y'know?#so I'm trying to be conscious of ways I can make the experience better for myself #at the end of the day it's just a hobby

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lets-get-fictional · 7 years

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Hello! So I was scouring the Internet for advice today but I couldn't find any on this topic. My problem isn't that I don't have any ideas (I probably have too many) but the problem is that I don't LOVE any of my ideas. I like them. I think they're all fine ideas. But liking them isn't going to motivate me long enough to finish a novel. How can I give my ideas that extra uumph to make me love them? How can I figure out what's missing or why I don't feel this way about any of my ideas?

Hello, nonny! What a challenging question… This one’s been in my inbox a couple days, just because it’s such a bigquestion. But I’ve thought it over and I think I have some ideas for you:)

The Thrill Is Gone – How to Find It Again

So generally, there’s no one answer orcure-all to this problem. I’ve had this issue multiple times, withdifferent causes. My first novel didn’t have enough meat to the plot; mysecond novel had been over-planned in my head to the point that it no longerexcited me. My third novel had way too much plot, sothat by the time I got ¾ the way through, I’d written over 200K words andfelt sick of the idea. I started my fourth novel way too soon, and am nowgoing back and planning it more! So there are obviously many differentreasons that a story doesn’t take off (or dries up eventually).

The first step is to figure out what’s missing, like yousaid. There are a few aspects of your story to assess…

1. Plot

I’m discussing plot first because, to me, it’s the most importantpart of fiction. Plot, conflict, and stakes are foremost to my stories. You could have the most complex and sympathetic characters, but withoutplot, they’re static and become boring. But for some reason, this is thepart of story ideas that new authors neglect most!

So if your story has great characters and an immersivesetting, but you can’t get into it, try asking a few questions about your plot:

What is the point of the plot? What’s the message you’re conveying in the story? Even if your story isn’t an allegory or a metaphor or the next Chronicles of Narnia, there should always be a conclusion to which all plots arrive – otherwise, the story can feel aimless. The best way to find your message is to look at the conflicts involved (e.g. Man vs. Man, Man vs. Nature, etc.) and find the “winner”. What worldview, belief, or concept “defeats” the other concepts? It can be as simple as Good vs. Evil, or more complex, like Loving the Sincere Drug Addict vs. Settling for the Selfish Dentist (provokes the question “Is love worth danger in relationships?”).

Does the plot have ups and downs? And really consider both ends of the spectrum here. Stories become dull if they are made up of victory after victory – or if they’re made up of nothing but loss and tragedy. No matter the genre, you have to strike some sort of balance, lest the story become predictable and emotionally non-engaging. Find victories and failures, even in unassuming places, to keep readers invested and hopeful.

Do you have a satisfactory ending? Or do you have the ending planned yet? I’ve found that I can’t really commit to an idea unless I see a resolution – otherwise I feel too nervous to start. If you do have an ending planned, make sure it’s the right ending. It can feel like there’s one possible conclusion, and once you’ve found it, you stick to it – but question it, brainstorm it. It may not be a happy ending every time, but when you find the right one, you’ll know it.

Do you have the right plot at all? Look at your story as a whole. Does it start too early or too late, relative to the real meat, the real action? Is it told from the most impactful POV? Does the plot cover too much ground for one book, or is it not enough to fill the pages? Consider all the characters, backstories, and subplots you have, and ask yourself if any of them are more interesting than the main plot. If so, shift your focus. Use them instead.

2. Characters

Maybe it’s not your plot that’s going sideways. Maybeyou have it all worked out – the head, the tail, the whole damn thing – butit still doesn’t feel right. It doesn’t feel like it’s coming tolife, somehow. It feels flat.

That can be a character problem. It would be likesitting by the campfire and hearing the most fascinating, horrifying story,except it’s told by a man with The Most Boring Voice Who Talks So IncrediblySlowly and Takes All the Fun Out of Everything. An example: TheHunger Games. Those books bored the crap out of me. Unless someone was being killed or Haymitch and Effie were interacting, Ijust didn’t care. And those books had a great plot behind them!

So here’s what you need for a good cast of characters:

A solid protagonist. Solid = three-dimensional,empathetic, and relatable; having a goal, an internal conflict, a self-image,and fears or shame. They should have different facets of themselves –their head and their heart, their desires and doubts, and that little voice intheir head that says, “Give up on that. Be realistic.” Givethem strengths, weaknesses, and a couple of bad habits, for kicks.

A variety of supporting characters. You don’thave to have thirty characters + six secret characters stuffed under yourtrench coat; but with however many characters you have, make them as differentfrom each other as possible. Give them some similarities, of course, sothat they can relate to each other – but never make them so close togetherthat you have to decide, “Who should say this line? Character A orCharacter B?” Make them unique enough that the words come out of their mouths,instead of you having to decide where to put the words, yourself.

Relationships, relationships, relationships. AndI’m not talking about romantic relationships. I mean, sure, those too –but there are many different kinds of relationships to explore. Friendships, enemy-ships (?), parent relationships, sibling-ships, silentalliances, “annoying friend-of-a-friend”-ships, “my-ex’s-little-sister”-ships, “you’re-the-ruler-of-the-galaxy-and-a-Sith-lord-but-also-my-dad-please-stop-being-evil”-ships… You get the idea. Make them unique, make them strong, and allowthem to evolve over the course of the story.

Diverse morals, interests, and personalities. My first short stories focused on white middle-class people who were culturallyand politically identical. They lived in one house, usually, and watchedthe same TV shows and made the same references. They had the same senseof humor. They rarely disagreed on anything that wasn’t clear-cut(e.g. “You drank the last Pepsi!” “I was thirsty!”). So doyourself a favor and don’t make my mistakes. Give your characters uniqueethics, cultures, backgrounds, personalities, goals, appearances, andconflicts. You’ll be more invested by then, I’m sure.

3. Setting

Lastly, I’d like to add that while your characters and plot could be well-developed, there’s always a chance that they’re placed in the wrong setting. This is why many story ideas can seem great, but won’t get off the ground – maybe they’re set in a pre-made universe like Middle Earth or Panem when they could be their own story. Maybe your tragic romance is set in the middle of apocalyptic war, when instead, it should be drained down to a period piece. Maybe your story is perfect, except you’re writing it too close to home – in the real world, in the present year. There are a million factors to picking the right setting, including:

Applicable history and culture. If you’re writing a story about someone who’s oppressed, or someone who’s a politician, or someone who’s a witch, you’re going to need to back that up with history. Develop a history for the oppression or politics or witchcraft – where these things began, how they developed over time – and a culture for them now – how oppressed people survive and how witches in your world interact, etc.

Imaginative scenery, influenced by the characters. Even if your story takes place in New York City in 2017, allow your characters’ living spaces and workplaces to have a unique touch – colors and quirks that your readers can see in their mind. If even you can’t see what you’re writing, inspiration is going to be difficult to find.

A lifelike background. Just because the plot focuses on your characters does not mean everything going on behind it should be quiet and dead. Anyone who looks out a window in a city building can see other people living – people on the highway will see other cars taking other people other places. Everyone who has a friend will hear a little something about their friend’s siblings, their friend’s friends, their friend’s neighbors. Life and stories exist outside of your plot; make sure you’re not writing about a ship in a bottle.

An aesthetic. That sounds gross and teen-tumblr-y, but let me tell you personally: I don’t feel truly ready to write (and love) my story until I can hear the music for the future movie adaptation – until I can see the kind of clothes the people wear, the games they play, the places they eat and shop. I think of the colors and themes in my scenes (e.g. my first novel was set primarily at night in a grunge/city setting; my current novel is very green and outdoorsy and gives me that feeling of bonfires just after sunset). Once you get that “feeling” from your story, you’ll know it.

Anyway, this reply took me like three days to write because I really wanted to get into it. I hope some of this helps you to fall in love with one of your ideas, so you can get started :) If you have any more questions, be sure to send them in!

(I have 26 questions in the inbox, though, so be patient with me…)

If you need advice on writing, fanfiction, or NaNoWriMo, you should maybe ask me!

#writing #writeblr #writing blog #writing tips #writing advice #inspiration #novels #my post #ask #anon ask

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